Will He find faith?
By Heather Williams
As we come to the end of our meditations on Jesus as our Bridegroom, King and Judge we are presented with a promise and a challenge. The promise is that God through Jesus the righteous Judge will bring justice to His elect and the challenge is - will Jesus find us full of faith and expectancy at His return?
And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him though He bears long with them? I tell you He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:7-8
The questions Jesus is asking here follow on from a parable He has just told about a judge who had no time for God and didn’t really care about people. Yet because of the persistence of the widow who needed his help he gave in and sorted out her problem.
Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7v11 comes to mind. ‘If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children HOW MUCH MORE will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.’
Our confidence is not in a God who is indifferent to our needs but in God our Father who loves us deeply and hears us when we cry out to Him. The amplified version of verse 7 reads ‘and will not (our just) God defend and avenge His elect (His chosen ones) who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in providing justice on their behalf?’ The clear answer is ‘He will avenge them speedily!’
Jesus is coming back as a Bridegroom to be united with His Bride, as a King to take up His authority and rule and reign and as a righteous Judge to bring justice and restoration to the earth (Rev 15 v 3&4). The second part of Revelation 15 v 4 says ‘For all nations shall come and worship before you for your judgements have been manifested’
It can be a challenge to reconcile God who is love with an avenging God but throughout Scripture and especially through the book of Revelation God is always offering hope and salvation to anyone who chooses to repent and turn to him. His heart is for mercy over judgement but without righteous judgement there is chaos. Righteous judgement is a cause for celebration for all of creation Ps 96 v11-13 ‘let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad……….for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His truth’ Hallelujah!!
Jesus is making clear to His disciples, and to us, that at God’s appointed time He will return to swiftly bring judgement on wickedness and set up His Kingdom on earth. We long for His return to put right all that is wrong but in the meantime our challenge is to remain faithful to Him and His call on each of our individual lives and together as Manchester House of Prayer. We are called to worship Him because He is worthy; to pray as He leads us by the Holy Spirit; to share the gospel in words, in song and by how we live each day. Matthew 25v13 ‘Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.’